Damn this chapter feels long. It's mostly dialog though.

And geez, I'm sorry I don't update as fast as I used to.

I hope no one thinks I'm giving up on this story again. I swear I'll finish it.

I know it looks like things are wrapping up, but I swill have a long way to go on this story.

Sakura's automatic response was, "Don't say that. I'm sure it wasn't your fault."

Based on movies and books and TV dramas, Sakura assumed Itachi thought he was the reason for his parents' death, when actually their passing was beyond his control. Maybe his parents got into a car accident on their way to visit Itachi. Maybe one of his many enemies killed them to get revenge. Maybe, when Itachi was very young, they were walking home from the theater one cold night, they went down a dark alley and a mugger popped out and his parents died trying to protect Itachi.

Honestly, she had no clue how his parents died. He never talked about it. Neither did Sasuke. All Sakura knew, with complete certainty, was that Itachi couldn't be the cause.

He proved her wrong though.

"I murdered them in this very house." He said it as simply, as if they were talking about the weather.

"This isn't funny," she snapped.

"I killed them like I killed so many other people."

Sakura stood from the bed. Her sore body screamed from her sudden movements, but she couldn't sit there. She couldn't be close to him. Crossing to the opposite wall, Sakura stood as far from Itachi as she could without leaving the room.

"You wouldn't do that," she argued. He had to be lying.

Except Itachi was nothing if not honest. He spoke slowly, spelling out the truth for her. "I did it. I don't regret it. If they were alive today, I'd kill them again."

"But you love them! I know you do. You have their pictures on your walls!" Sakura aggressively waved around Itachi's bedroom, gesturing to the photos hung around. His parents frozen in the frames.

In her mind, two solid facts made up Itachi's entire being.

One, Itachi was loving. He loved Sakura so much, and he loved Sasuke, and his parents. She saw it in how Itachi looked at her, in how his entire world lit up when Sasuke was nearby. In the early mornings and late, late nights, when Itachi and Sakura were wrapped up in each other and the rest of the world didn't matter, he would whisper his hopes and dreams and worries to her and Sakura could just feel the love pouring out of him.

Two, Itachi was protective. Mostly of those he loved. If there was even a whisper of danger in the air, he was at her side. The dark knight to her castle. A safe, strong presence. An unstoppable force.

To kill someone he loved, much less two people, went against everything Sakura believed about Itachi Uchiha.

"I do love my parents, but I also killed them. That's the kind of person I am."

"No, it's not. You're not that person!"

Itachi stood suddenly.

Sakura stumbled away from him. They could blame it on her injuries, say her legs were weak from the stress, but both of them knew why she moved away. Sakura was scared.

"That person you believe I am isn't really me," he said. "Just like the person I thought you were wasn't really you."

"Itachi, I killed a powerful Jinchuriki who was threatening my life. You killed your parents, who raised you and loved you. That's a huge difference between what you did and what I did!"

"How is it different? You killed. I killed."

"Because they're your parents!" Sakura repeated. She was at a complete loss. The calm way he spoke to her made it feel like she was the crazy one here.

"Why are you upset? You knew I was a killer. Did you think I had morals that justified my murders? As long as I had some ethics, you could pretend I'm a good person?"

This conversation was getting away from her. One second, they were discussing Itachi murdering his family. Now, all of a sudden, Sakura is the bad guy.

"Does pretending I'm a good person make it easier to believe you're a good person too?" Itachi cocked his head, looking at her from an angle that was almost mocking. "Is that why you're upset?"

"I think anyone would be upset if they learned their partner was capable of killing people he loves," she argued.

In two long steps, Itachi crossed the room. He stood as close to her as possible. Almost every time, when he came this close, it was to kiss her, to love her, to hold her. This was not one of those times.

Itachi leaned down, until they were level with each other, and she had no where to look except those endlessly black eyes of his. The same darkness countless of people saw before he killed them.

In the same way he would whisper to her in the middle of the night, when he held her safe in his arms, Itachi asked, "Are you scared that I'll kill you one day too?"

Sakura couldn't take it. Despite her aching body, she ran away.

Temari burst into the office. "Gaara, someone's coming down the platform!"

Kankuro, at Gaara's side, stood alert. "An intruder?"

"We don't know. We weren't expecting any visitors. The guards are freaking out." Temari rattled off details as her brothers followed her out of Gaara's office, through the Hidden Sand mansion and out into the field.

The Hidden Sand was an underground society. They did not like visitors, especially when those visitors were a surprise.

Temari led the way through the courtyards, weaving around the crowds of people who were hurrying the opposite direction. During an invasion, their people were instructed to go back into their homes and await Gaara's instruction. They hurried to do so, but most stopped when they saw their redheaded leader parting through the crowd.

A woman holding her baby close called out to him. "Lord Gaara, is it a terrorist?"

"Do you need extra guards?" A man asked. He was very willing to join the fight on Gaara's behalf.

Others shouted out similar questions. Half of them wanted Gaara's protection, the other half wanted to fight with him. Kankuro and Temari did their best to keep the people away from their little brother, but they all looked to their leader.

Gaara raised a hand to hush them. His people silenced immedietly, but not out of fear like they used to. They calmed as he looked over the crowd.

Gaara told them, "The intruder could be an ally or an enemy. We don't know. No matter who they are, you are all safe. Please go back to your homes."

His reassurance settled them. Without panic, the people followed his orders. They quickly, and calmly, went into their homes. The courtyards emptied. Gaara followed his siblings to only entrance into the Hidden Sand. The large platform that took people in and out of the city was lowering down. Someone from the world above was coming into their home.

All of the Hidden Sand's guards were in a line, waiting for the platform to touch down. Their guns and weapons were up, ready to shoot.

"Lord Gaara, please keep back!" One of the guards yelled.

"We will protect you," another said.

"Calm down. Don't shoot unless I say," Gaara told them.

The guards straightened. All of them were trained to follow Gaara's orders. Temari and Kankuro stood on either side of their little brother, hovering at his sides in that protective way only a big brother and sister could.

They expected a whole team of people to be on the platform. Maybe a group of terrorists, or even a car carrying someone important. Maybe the government finally discovered the Hidden Sand, and sent the national guard to arrest them. They expected soldiers and fighters, guns and weapons.

What they got was the one thing they didn't expect.

Standing at the center of the platform, still recovering from her injuries, was a very tired, very upset Sakura Haruno.

"Weapons down," Gaara ordered.

Gaara stepped in front of the guards. He came up to her and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Hiding. What better place to hide than the Hidden Sand, right?" she tried to make it a joke, but it came out with a sob at the end.

If her crying worried Gaara, he didn't show it. In a way that was somehow both emotionless and exasperated, Gaara said, "You could've at least sent me a text before invading my city."

"I forgot my phone." Actually, Sakura forgot everything. She came here straight from the Uchiha manner.

Gaara said to Temari and Kankuro, "Tell everyone there's nothing to worry about, and cancel my one o'clock meeting."

"Just the one o'clock meeting?" Temari aged, glancing over his shoulder.

The siblings looked openly at Sakura, who was still covered in slowly healing bruises, fingers broken and only a mild case of drug withdrawals. Not to mention the constant stream of tears pouring down her face.

"Better cancel the rest of the day," Gaara said to his sister.

Kakuro squeezed his brother's shoulder and said, "You're a brave man. I'm proud of you."

Regardless of the complete emotionless void that was Gaara, he was an excellent listener. He took Sakura to his personal library, hidden deep within the Hidden Sand. Surrounded by books, tucked into a little nook of the room, Sakura instantly put her heart on the table. She told Gaara about Itachi and his parents and how she killed the Six Tails. Sakura went on and on, telling Gaara about how confused she was. She talked about how Itachi was a completely different person. He was a monster. He lied to her.

Gaara listened and let her cry. He didn't react much to her retelling of events. He didn't gasp at the dramatic parts, or get angry on Sakura's behalf. He didn't ask any questions. He didn't speak at all until Sakura was finished telling her whole story, right up until she appeared on his doorstep.

When she was finished, the first thing Gaara said was, "You and Itachi are exactly alike."

"What?" Sakura didn't know whether to be shocked or angry.

"He has this idea of who you are and you have this idea of who he is," Gaara explained in his calm calculating voice. "But neither of you fit those images."

"That's not true! I never had any expectations of Itachi. I never wanted him to be something he's not," she argued.

"Then why are you so upset now? You knew he was a killer."

"This is different. He killed his parents!"

"A long time ago. Before he knew you. He's not a different person because of it. You just couldn't imagine that side of him, and now you don't want it to be true." Gaara was all facts and no opinion. Even though Sakura was his friend, he wouldn't soften his blows for her. He told her the truth.

Sakura hugged her legs, pressing her swollen eyes into her knees. Blacking the world out. She murmured, "But he didn't tell me."

"Because it wasn't something you wanted to hear," Gaara said.

"Itachi can tell me anything," she argued, but her words were weak.

"If he can tell you anything, then why did you run away from him?"

Sakura looked up to glare at Gaara. "Are you my conscience?"

"I would prefer to be your common sense," he said.

"Ok Mr. Common Sense, what should I do now?" she asked.

Gaara thought on this for a while, and in that time Sakura edged closer to him. She crossed the couch and curled against Gaara's side slowly, testing the boundaries of how far he would allow her in. Touch for Gaara was complicated, due to a long history of being hated and feared. Sakura was the opposite. Affection was her love language, and right now she needed it. She carefully dropped her head onto Gaara's shoulder, nudging into her friend.

At first, Gaara stiffened when Sakura pressed to his side. Then he relaxed. Over the last year, Gaara made a serious effort to let people in. So far, this change only brought good things. His followers trusted him. His siblings loved him. He wasn't scared of people anymore.

Even though he didn't open his arms to her, like Naruto would, Gaara didn't push her away either. Sakura took this as a sign to really dig in. She hugged Gaara's arm, nuzzling against his shoulder. The affection did wonders for her mood. She stopped crying. She was calm, if only a little.

"You should ask yourself why Itachi told you about his parents," Gaara finally answered.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked against his shoulder.

"Why tell you the truth now? Why not sooner? Or never?" he asked her, but Sakura didn't have an answer. She really wanted an answer though.

Sakura nudged her chin against his arm. She asked, "Can I stay here?"

"Are you joining the Hidden Sand?" Gaara actually sounded excited about the idea. At least, as excited as someone like Gaara could be.

"Not today. Sorry." Sakura huffed a little laugh. "I just don't want to be alone."

"What about Akatsuki?" Gaara's eyes narrowed. The relationship between the Hidden Sand and Akatsuki was complicated.

"I'm on medical leave right now."

"What about college?"

Sakura sighed. "I actually need to figure that out. Sasuke and Naruto can bring me my assignments, but since I couldn't complete my internship, I failed my field experience class."

"You can stay as long as you don't make this hugging thing a habit," Gaara said.

"But isn't this nice? Two friends sharing platonic cuddles?" She nuzzled into his neck.

"You got your tears and snot all over me."

"That's how I mark all my friends," Sakura explained.

"You're disgusting." Gaara stood abruptly, shaking Sakura off.

She kept an iron clamp on his arm. "Don't run from my friendship!"

Living in the Hidden Sand was like being on vacation from the world.

As a literal underground society, the Hidden Sand was kept secret from the rest of the city. It was like being in another world. As a guest of Hidden Sand's leader, Sakura could do anything she wanted here. She spent most of her time sleeping off her withdrawals and injuries, tucked into the large bed of her guest room. Her only visitors were Gaara and his siblings. Sakura joined them for meals and at least one of the three siblings kept her company when she decided to leave her room.

The Hidden Sand's people were very friendly towards Sakura. They knew her as the person who stopped Akatsuki from attacking their home, and as Gaara's friend.

After a week, Sakura was completely healed. Her drug addiction was gone, her bruises faded and her strained muscles worked properly. The Hidden Sand's medical team removed the braces on her broken fingers. They offered physical therapy but, after taking care of Kisame, Sakura knew how to work through the movements herself.

At the end of the week, she met with Sasuke and Naruto to collect her schoolwork.

They weren't allowed into the Hidden Sand, since it was a secret society and all, so Gaara escorted her up to the surface. They met Naruto and Sasuke at a coffee shop, where Sasuke was enjoying a hot drink and Naruto was complaining.

"Why couldn't we meet at the ramen spot next door?" Naruto whined.

"We literally had ramen last night," Sasuke answered.

Naruto cocked his head to the side. "And? Your point?"

Sakura came up to their table, smiling bright. She asked, "Did you miss me?"

"You look so much better!" Naruto gushed. "I was really worried, Sakura."

Sasuke eyed her over his coffee cup. He said, "You left the Uchiha house."

Like everything Sasuke said, his words carried a lot of meaning without saying anything directly at all. Sakura blushed, feeling like a child caught lying. How much did Sasuke know? Did Itachi tell his brother about their fight? They weren't exactly the kind of brothers who talked about their feelings with each other, but Sasuke was a smart guy. He usually came to the correct conclusions on his own.

"Yeah, I decided to stay with another friend." Sakura gestured behind her.

When Naruto spotted Gaara, his whole face lit up. It was like they were long lost friends or something. The blond jumped from his seat and threw an arm around Gaara's shoulders, happily saying, "I didn't know you were friends with Gaara! Now the four of us can hang out together all the time!"

"Or not." Sasuke eyed the redhead with distaste.

"Don't be a jerk," Naruto snapped at his best friend.

"The Uchiha and I are in agreement. For once." Gaara's usually emotionless face twisted in disgust.

Naruto pouted. "Don't be like that, Gaara. Come on, I'll buy you a drink."

The two of them went over to the counter, where Naruto pretended to know a lot about coffee, when clearly he knew nothing at all. Gaara let the blond rattle on, hardly getting a word in with all of Naruto's talking. It was obvious to Sakura that Gaara actually enjoyed Naruto's company, with how he hung on Naruto's every word. It wasn't surprising. Even though he was an idiot most of the time, no one could refuse Naruto's friendship.

Sakura took Naruto's abandoned seat. Sasuke handed over all her homework assignments and messages from her professors. Sakura shifted through the large stack of papers, already exhausted from all the catching up she had to do.

"I can't believe you're friends with that guy," Sasuke said. He glared at Gaara across the room.

"Why? I'm friends with you, aren't I?" Sakura asked.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"You and Gaara are almost the same person," she explained. They were both quiet, calm, dark types. The only real difference was Sasuke's moody attitude.

Sasuke turned his glare on her. "Say that again. I dare you."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "You'd never hurt me."

To that, he had nothing to say. It was true. Sasuke was exactly like Itachi in that way – protective of those he loved. The very thought depressed her though. Over the past week in Hidden Sand, she managed to put aside any thoughts of Itachi. Sitting across from Sasuke, it was impossible to think of anything except Itachi.

Always observant, Sasuke picked up on her sudden mood change. He studied her, and came to the correct conclusion yet again.

"Itachi finally told you the truth, didn't he?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura swallowed. "So you know too? That Itachi…your parents…" She couldn't say the words.

"I was there the night it happened."

The complete calmness of which Sasuke said these terrible words was so jarring, so completely out of place, and so exactly like how Itachi would've said it, that Sakura felt immediately sick. Her heart clenched tight. It hurt so much.

"Sasuke, I'm so-"

He cut her off. "Don't say you're sorry. Everyone always says that. It wasn't your fault. It was his."

How was it possible that she was more emotional about this situation that he was? Were Uchiha's born without emotions? Sasuke was as unbothered by this as Itachi was. It was like discussing their dead parents was just as normal as discussing the weather.

"How can you be so calm about this?" she had to ask. Sasuke's complete lack of emotion was making Sakura feel crazy for caring at all.

"Because I'm going to kill Itachi. He knows that. I know that. It makes it easier to be around him," Sasuke explained.

Sakura was shocked. "Itachi knows you're trying to kill him?"

"He'd be an idiot if he didn't know." Sasuke finished his coffee. "My brother isn't an idiot."

There was nothing else to say. Maybe Sasuke and Itachi could talk about killing their loved ones so easily, but Sakura couldn't. Despite the anger and hurt she felt for him, thinking about Itachi dead was on a different level of pain. She couldn't handle it.

Sasuke sensed that she didn't want to talk about this anymore. Instead, he asked, "What are you going to do?"

"About Itachi? I don't know yet."

"What about Akatsuki?"

"I'm supposed to go back tonight." Sakura's medical leave officially ended today. "I don't know if I can."

"You shouldn't."

"Why? Because I don't belong with them?" It hurt to hear Itachi's words come out of her mouth.

"If you go back, you'll have an even harder decision to make later. When you make that decision, it's going to affect you, me and him."

Sakura followed Sasuke's eyes to Naruto. He was helping Gaara carry three drinks over to their table. With a dramatic pose, Naruto places one of the drinks in front of Sakura. It was hard to tell what he gave her. All she could see were chocolate sprinkles on a giant mountain of whipped cream.

"I got you the cutest drink on the menu." Naruto grinned.

"You didn't have to." Sakura took a sip. The whipped cream was so thick, it left a white dollop on her nose.

"Sure I did. A cute girl deserves a cute drink." Naruto flicked her nose gently, collecting the whipped cream and putting it into his mouth. He smiled with all the innocence in the world, and it made Sakura smile too.

"You're gross," Gaara said to the blond.

"You say that about all displays of public affection," Naruto noted.

"He does," Sakura agreed. "I'm trying to convert him into a cuddler."

To give an example, Sakura hugged Gaara's arm. She nuzzled into his side like a cat. Gaara gave a little sigh and turned towards his own drink, allowing himself to be cuddled.

In the most serious tone he was capable of, Naruto said to Sakura, "You're doing God's work."

Temari burst into Gaara's office. She yelled, "Gaara, someone's coming down the platform!"

"Not again," Kankuro complained.

Temari led them out of the office. "It's for real this time. They're Akatsuki."

"Temari come with me," Gaara commanded. "Kankuro, go get Sakura."

When they reached the platform, the scene was very different from when Sakura 'invaded' the Hidden Sand.

A fight was already happening when they arrived. All the guards rushed the intruders, shooting at the Akatsuki with the intent to kill. At the center of the fight were Hidan and Kakuzu, hardly breaking a sweat.

Kakuzu grabbed anyone who came within arm's reach. He plowed through them, tossing them around like they weighed nothing. He hardly moved at all, only striking down whoever was stupid enough to get close to him.

Alwayst the opposite, Hidan ran around the crowd, swinging his long scythe dramatically. He rushed the guards, without fear. He laughed and cursed at them. He cut through them deeply, but not enough to kill. Only enough to keep the guards away.

When Gaara was in sight, Hidan yelled, "Fucking finally! We've been waiting forever."

Kakuzu kicked another guard away, sending the body flying. He glared at Gaara and said, "You have something of ours."

"Please tell me you kidnapped her, so I can actually kill these idiots," Hidan said.

Gaara stood in front of them without fear. "Stop attacking my people."

"Give us the girl first," Kakuzu snapped. For emphasis, he punched the closest guard in the face.

"If you touch another one of my people, you'll regret it." Gaara's eyes narrowed dangerously. Temari stood beside him, poised to fight.

Because his sole goal in life was to piss people off, Hidan smirked and swung his scythe. The blades whipped through the air. In one swing, Hidan aimed the points at Gaara.

"Stop it! Stop fighting!" Sakura screamed.

Everyone froze. Hidan's scythe stopped just a hair from Temari's back. Even though he was aiming for Gaara, Temari had stepped in front of her baby brother, to take the hit for him.

Sakura and Kankuro ran through the crowd. Kankuro went to his siblings, checking them both for injuries. Sakura went to her coworkers, out of breath from running so fast.

"Were you taken against your will?" Kakuzu asked her.

"What? Of course not. I came here by myself," she answered.

"Damn it. I was really looking forward to a fight," Hidan whined.

A lot of apologies were given for the sudden invasion. All of them given by Sakura on Hidan and Kakuzu's behalf. Gaara and his siblings accepted her apologies, though the three of them kept looking over at Hidan and Kakuzu suspiciously. Likewise, Hidan and Kakuzu watched the three siblings closely. They crowded around Sakura like guard dogs, ready to bite if one of the sand siblings got too close.

"I want them gone by the end of the day," Gaara said.

"I'll make sure they leave," Sakura promised.

"How rude," Kakuzu huffed.

"Yeah, after we came all this way to save your ass," Hidan joked. "Not that your ass can't save itself."

Sakura ignored them, apologized again to the sand siblings, and promised to keep an eye on her coworkers. Gaara relented and went back to work, after giving a fare warning about what would happen if anymore harm came to his people.

When they were finally alone, Sakura turned to Hidan and Kakuzu. She asked, "What are you doing here?"

"We came looking for you, obviously," Kakuzu answered.

"After that last kidnapping, Pein and Konan go fucking crazy when they can't find you. I swear, they're going to lock your ass up at headquarters if you doing watch it," Hidan explained.

Clearly Pein and Konan weren't the only ones worried over her. Hidan and Kakuzu formed a protective circle around her, standing between her and anyone who could be an enemy. If someone came within arms' distance of her, Hidan swung his sharp blades in their direction. Kakuzu towered over her like a shield, keeping her within his shadow.

"The real question is what are you doing here?" Kakuzu asked her.

Sakura visibly deflated.

"Who the fuck hurt you?" Hidan demanded to know. "Was it that racoon eyed redhead?"

"He couldn't have gotten far," Kakuzu said.

They were five seconds from storming the Hidden Sand mansion with only Hidan's scythe, Kakuzu's fists and their combined determination to throw themselves into deadly situations without a single care in the world. With a shared look of determination, Hidan and Kakuzu were seconds from destroying everything.

They only stopped their rampage when Sakura said, "I got into a fight with Itachi."

"Damn. I don't think we can kick Itachi's ass, even for you," Hidan said.

"Yeah, hard pass," Kakuzu agreed.

"So the honeymoon is over, huh?" Hidan asked.

"About time. You two were gross." Kakuzu huffed.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Sakura forced a smile, to show she was okay even thought she absolutely wasn't.

Hidan and Kakuzu exchanged a look.

"Are you going to tell us what happened?" Hidan asked.

"Do you really want to know?" she asked.

"Fuck no. Just know, whatever you guys are fighting about, we're on yourself," Hidan said.

"Agreed." Kakuzu crossed his arms, nodding like this wasn't even a debate.

"Itachi can kiss my ass," Hidan said. "But don't tell him I said that."

Sakura couldn't help laughing. Kakuzu was a grumpy old cheapskate and Hidan was an annoyingly mouthy fanatic, but together they always brought a smile to her face. Honestly, if they put on a comedy show together that consisted of arguing and cussing out people, she would pay to see it.

The sound of her laughter softened Hidan and Kakuzu considerably. They stopped glaring at anyone and everyone who passed, and relaxed. Hidan grinned at Sakura in that boyish way of his that was only a little crazy.

"You missed work today," Kakuzu stated.

"I know. I'm sorry. I should've called," she said.

"When will you be coming back?" Kakuzu looked down at her, and the full weight of his question settled on Sakura's shoulders.

She had two options. Neither of them particularly good.

Option one was to quit Akatsuki. She wouldn't have to see Itachi again. She wouldn't have to worry about the constant struggle between good and evil within herself. With how well Akatsuki paid her, she had enough saved up to get through college and then some. The only downside would be if Akatsuki chose to hunt her down. She knew their secrets, their plans, their everything. If you asked her yesterday, Sakura would say Akatsuki would never hurt her, even if she left. But after learning about Itachi's parents, she wasn't too sure.

Option two was to man up, go to work and be a professional even though it was the last thing Sakura wanted to do.

Honestly, the first option was looking pretty good. If anything, Gaara would protect Sakura from Akatsuki if need be. In all probability, Akatsuki could take down the Hidden Sand, but it was the thought that counted.

"Can you please come back soon? We really need your help," Hidan begged.

"You do?" Sakura blinked.

"Yeah, we have to catch the Seven Tails but that bitch is illusive as fuck," Hidan whined.

"We have a plan, but we need you to do it," Kakuzu explained. "You're the only one who can make it work."

Sakura's need to be needed vibrated. At her core, she thrived on being useful. Sakura had an itch that could only be scratched by helping others. Whether Hidan and Kakuzu knew that, and were playing on her hunger for helpfulness, was besides the point. Sakura was useful to them, and that fact washed away all her worries. As long as she was helping, she was happy.

"I'll go back into work tomorrow night," she promised.

"Good. With all the money we wasted on your medical leave, if you didn't come back, I was going to kill you myself," Kakuzu said.

Sakura looked at Hidan. "Is he joking or not?"

Hidan shrugged. "Only Jashin knows."

(End)

Recently, on a federal document, I had to mark my race down. I hate the race question because, for some reason, being Hispanic is just so confusing in America.

Like, they don't have an option for my people on the race section of government documents. First they ask "Are you white, Black/African American, Pacific Islander, Asian, or Other" and then they'll have a separate question asking "Are you Hispanic or Latino?" I don't understand why they separate us from the race question?

A lot of people tell me Hispanic/Latino isn't a race, but it feels like one to me. I always tell people I'm Mexican American, but some people tell me Mexican American isn't a thing. But then how come African American is?

I used to mark "Other" but someone online told me the polls automatically add "Others" to "White." That really depressed me. I feel like America doesn't know what to do with people whose roots are from Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and other similar counties. Most of the time, they hear "Hispanic" and they think Spain and they include Spain as "white" because the Spanish colonized a lot of places.

I hate labels and I always avoid them, but when the government is literally forcing me to pick one, I get very upset when they don't even have an option for me. Nearly a 1/3 of American is made up of land that used to be apart of Mexico. How can American not have an option for me?